Yesterday was the second day of spring. Between the multiple moving shades of gray, there in the sky was a glimmer of pale blue; memories of short wearing and popsicle eating floating just beyond the clouds. It was still in the low 40’s and I was cold so I tried to hurry Carter from the school bus stop to our house. Hurrying Carter is a fine art form that can easily backfire leading to the digging in of little heels and internal (and not so internal) meltdowns by the momma.

Lately he is obsessed with Madrona bark (or Madrone bark for those of you living south of the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon/northern California. Or for any readers I may have in British Columbia, the bark of the Arbutus.) He collects it by the little fistfuls to bring into the house. He carefully places it in the kindling box next to the fireplace for me to use as fire starter. He is quite proud of himself for this contribution. After the obligatory bark collection, where I oooh and aaah over the nicest of pieces, we go in the house, take off our coats and shoes, and discuss what would be good to eat for lunch. He wants a peanut butter and honey sandwich with a side of strawberries and honey wheat pretzel sticks. Tuesday it was vanilla bean yogurt sprinkled with Grape-nuts. As long as it is somewhat healthy and not terribly repetitive I let him choose the afternoon time menu.

I head for the kitchen to make us some sandwiches when he lets out a yelp.

carter: Momma, momma come! clap,clap,clap – yes he actually claps when he calls for me making me feel very doglike. There is something yellow and big in the backyard! He whispers the word “big” to accentuate his excitement.

me: Well, what do you think it is sweetheart?

carter: Again with his dramatic whisper – A flower. He is off to find his boots and go pick the flower for you, momma!

So on the second day of spring my true love little boy gave to me a lovely yellow dandelion.

19 Responses to When is a Weed Not a Weed?

Thank you. I love getting little gifts of fresh picked flowers from my boys and have vases of several sizes to accommodate their various bouquets. I even have a vase just perfect for one single dandelion. 🙂

I try, but do I try! I just love getting flowers from my boys, regardless of the type. Last year Carter would pick flowers for me but remove the entire stem so I had to have a little bowl of water on the table as our centerpiece to float the flower tops in. 🙂

Love this! I used to have a bumper sticker on my car with a quote from Emerson: “What is a weed? A plant whose use has yet to be discovered.” Trust the little ones to find that use–making mommy happy. 🙂

Oh dear, thank you I think. I am not sure I want my 15 minutes of fame to be associated with my slightly awkward and much more so disturbing question (with a wink.) I will check it out and most likely vote for myself a modest amount. 🙂 And I must ask – what does the winner receive?